A town’s identity is about more than its landmarks and history. The arts can help communities connect with their past, tell overlooked stories, and shape the places they call home.
What makes a place feel like home? It's the streets we know, the stories we inherit or the cultural experiences we share with others?
In the latest episode of , St Mary’s University’s podcast exploring culture, heritage and ideas, host and co-host are joined by cultural historian Dr Jonathan Williams to explore how the arts and humanities shape our sense of place.
Starting with Teddington, where Jonathan lives, the conversation considers how local history, community arts, and cultural identity influence the way we experience the places around us - and whose stories get told.
Why local history matters
For Jonathan, getting to know Teddington has meant looking beyond its identity as a prosperous commuter town. He sees a rich history of culture, literature, science, and research that could give residents a deeper connection to where they live.
Discovering the people who walked the same streets before us can make history feel less abstract. It becomes something we can experience, relate to, and contribute to, rather than simply a collection of dates and events.
But local identity is not always straightforward. Which stories become part of a town’s shared history, and which are forgotten?
The discussion turns to Teddington Studios, once a significant centre for film and television, and the nostalgia surrounding its past. It also considers the communities whose experiences may be less visible, including working-class residents affected by changing house prices and the transformation of local neighbourhoods.
Remembering a place means looking beyond its best-known landmarks. It also means asking whose experiences have shaped it, and whose voices might be missing from its history.
Can the arts bring communities together?
The arts can help people connect with their surroundings, but cultural activity doesn't automatically create a shared sense of belonging.
Mark, Kim and Johnathon explore how different places across south-west London have developed their own cultural identities, from Richmond’s theatres and galleries to the community arts scene around Twickenham and Teddington.
They also discuss Brixton Village Market as an example of how artists and independent businesses helped breathe new life into an existing space. Rather than simply replacing what was there, this approach created opportunities for the local community to engage with and shape the place around them.
For Kim, community participation is an important part of this relationship. She contrasts cultural venues that primarily bring performances and exhibitions to an audience with community-led organisations that create opportunities for people to make art, build relationships, and sustain shared activities over time.
The distinction raises an important question: is a place’s cultural identity something that is presented to its residents, or something they help create?
Both approaches can play a role, but the conversation suggests that lasting connections may depend on more than the cultural offer alone. They can also grow through participation, shared ownership, and opportunities for people to contribute.
Whose stories shape a place?
A sense of place is also shaped by change. Neighbourhoods evolve as populations move, industries disappear, and new communities establish themselves.
Comparing Teddington with Brick Lane in east London, the guests consider how migration and successive generations have created layers of history and heritage. They also explore how gentrification can change the character of a neighbourhood, sometimes pushing established communities out, or making their experiences less visible.
These changes complicate the idea that a place has one fixed identity. Its character is continually being negotiated through the people who live there, the stories they tell and the experiences they share.
The River Thames provides another way to understand this relationship. It has shaped the development of communities along its banks, supporting trade, transport, and local industry. Yet, as the guests discuss, the river no longer occupies the same central place in every town’s everyday identity.
How we remember and interpret these histories matters. Cultural activity can help bring them back into view, connecting the present with the people, events and decisions that shaped it.
Making culture part of everyday life
The conversation ultimately points towards a broader question about the role of arts and humanities in society: how can they help us understand not just where we live, but what it means to belong somewhere?
That work can happen through major cultural institutions, local history projects, performances, community groups, or simply by discovering a story about a familiar street.
It also requires us to look critically at the narratives we inherit. A town’s identity isn't just about celebrating its past; it's about recognising that history is complex, that different experiences can coexist, and that communities have the ability to shape what comes next.
As the episode explores, the arts aren't simply an addition to a place’s identity. They can provide ways for people to interpret their surroundings, share experiences, and imagine new possibilities for their communities.
The question isn't just what makes a place distinctive, but who gets to shape its story.
Listen to Affairs of the Arts
In the latest episode of Affairs of the Arts, Mark Griffin and Dr Kim Salmons are joined by cultural historian Dr Jonathan Williams to explore how local history, community arts, migration and change shape our sense of place, and who gets to tell a town’s story.
Listen to the full conversation:
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Affairs of the Arts is a podcast from the , exploring contemporary questions about culture, creativity, heritage, and the role of the arts in society.